SWNOVELXO Chapter 242: Chapter 242: War
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Low temperatures spread as frost formed across the ground.
Ice crept along the mysterious strings binding Ana, but while it couldn't shatter them, it restored her mobility.
Raising her hand, Ana summoned massive ice spikes, forming like mountain peaks in mid-air.
'At the very least, I need to test their abilities and limits before losing control!'
Gritting her teeth and struggling to maintain clarity of mind, Ana launched the massive ice spikes downward, targeting the densest area of dolls in the audience.
"Captain… it hurts so much..."
"Captain…"
"Sister Ana… please save me…"
"Captain Ana…"
"Ana…"
"Are you… going to kill us again?" × N
One by one, familiar figures bathed in blood appeared in the path of Ana's attack.
The chorus of tearful accusations made Ana tremble, halting her offensive and tearing open the fragile mental wounds she had desperately tried to cover.
It hurt—hurt so much that Ana wished she could just die.
"No… stop…"
"Oh? What's wrong? It's just a little illusion. Someone must have warned you about this before you came here, right? Come on, push harder. You're Ana Schariac. How can you let a little illusion hold you back? Come on, crush them—fulfill your duty!"
A doll appeared beside Ana, gripping her trembling wrist and pushing it downward bit by bit.
At the same time, the massive ice spike, barely suspended mid-air, inched forward.
"Captain—don't!" × N
"What are you afraid of? It's just an illusion. Let's keep going!"
"Captain… Captain…" × N
"Continue! Continue!"
While attacking Ana's mental vulnerabilities with illusions, the Herrscher of Thousands forcibly manipulated her hand, pushing her to shatter the illusion herself.
In that moment, their twisted understanding of human nature and their sheer cruelty sent shivers down the spine.
Another doll appeared at Ana's side, followed by a third, then a fourth. Together, they gripped her wrist, their nearly identical, malicious sneers adding to the pressure as they pushed the ice spike closer to its target.
Finally, the illusions broke.
"No…"
Ana's eyes widened in terror, her pupils trembling.
In the next instant, those familiar figures didn't shatter and vanish like illusions. Instead, under the crushing force of the ice spike, they twisted, screamed, and sprayed blood.
"It hurts! It hurts so much!"
"Captain… why! Captain!?"
"Sister Ana, it hurts… it hurts so much…"
"Stop, Captain… Capt—ahhh!!!"
What Ana saw next was a nauseating blur of flesh and blood. Scattered fragments of Valkyrie armor she recognized lay on the edges of the ice spike, as if to confirm the identity of the mangled remains.
"Oh dear! It seems we made a mistake!"
"Ah, it looks like one of our careless clones collected their souls and brought them back to life here... Oops! We forgot about that!"
Ana turned her head blankly, staring at one of the dolls in a daze as she asked,
"What… are you talking about?"
"What we mean is, what you just crushed… were your actual teammates, resurrected with great effort!"
"Ahahahaha!"
"Surprised? Shocked?"
"Oh my, how pitiful. If it were me, I couldn't bear it!"
Dolls appeared one after another around her, their mockery and sneers piercing through her fragile composure like knives.
Ana's pupils slowly dilated, the icy blue glow symbolizing her Herrscher power fully occupying her gaze.
"You—liar!!!"
Ana growled lowly. Several nearby dolls froze solid in the suddenly plunging temperature, and countless tiny ice spikes formed in the air, raining down like a storm and piercing hundreds of dolls into the ground.
The next moment, the fallen dolls transformed, their appearances shifting into faces all too familiar to Ana. Bloodied, agonized, and filled with resentment, they all turned to stare at her.
"Captain, you've killed me again."
"Captain, don't you remember? Last time, we were celebrating together…"
"Sister Ana, it hurts so much… it really hurts… come be with me!"
"Lady Ana…"
"Captain…"
They spoke different words, all carrying endless pain and hatred.
And then, Ana completely lost consciousness.
Shhk!
A slender hand pierced through Ana's abdomen from behind in the instant she was unable to move.
"Heh! Ana Schariac, Herrscher of Ice—this is it?"
"Don't waste time! Thankfully, her Herrscher personality hasn't fully formed yet. Her Herrscher power is entirely dependent on her original persona. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so easy to deal with."
"Focusing on her as the first target was absolutely the right call. Easier than expected—Power! I can feel it! This is the true power of a Herrscher!"
Swish!
An invisible blade effortlessly sliced through several dolls, cutting them into fragmented pieces. One severed half of a head fell to the ground, its gaze fixed on the black hole in the sky. A few seconds later, its eyes lost all color.
"Ana, hang on!"
A stunning figure in black armor emerged from the black hole, swiftly arriving at Ana's side. She caught Ana's bloodied body and fed her a pill.
"Unconscious, huh? Understandable. After something like this, who could endure it… Herrscher of Thousands, you truly deserve to die!"
"Oh? Isn't this our great Herrscher of the Void? How about it—should we continue the Siberian Honkai eruption and turn this world into a complete hell?"
A doll's intact head at Kiana's feet let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
Kiana took a deep breath. Holding Ana close, she raised her foot and crushed the laughing head into silence.
In the next moment, Wendy, Raiden Mei, and Seele emerged from the black hole, surrounding Kiana defensively.
Simultaneously, dolls from the stands leapt down into the arena. Snowflakes began to fall from nowhere, and the temperature of the entire space dropped to the point where even the air seemed frozen.
"See? I told you it was a trap! A five-hundred-year-old monster like Hera wasn't going to be swayed so easily!"
"Doesn't matter. We've achieved our goal, haven't we?"
"Now, let's properly entertain our esteemed guests!"
"Since you've come, why not become one of us?"
"Showtime!"
The dolls' bodies began to morph, transforming into various weapons. Ice spikes and blades coalesced in the air, ready to strike.
Wendy surveyed the scene briefly, then stepped forward, transparent fluids swirling in her hands.
"Seele, use the power of creation to heal Ana and take her out of here. Kiana, maintain the spatial portal until they leave. Mei, I'll take the offensive; you move freely. Their mastery of ice-related Herrscher powers is faster than expected, and this is their domain. This will be a tough fight."
"Yes! Seele will complete the mission!"
"Got it! Spatial manipulation, huh? Even if I'm only halfway there, trying that in front of the Herrscher of the Void is a joke! I'll make sure Seele and Ana retreat safely!"
"Raiden Mei of the North Star Sword Style, ready to teach them a lesson."
The elegant skirts symbolizing Herrscher powers appeared on Wendy and Seele.
The black armor on Kiana began to emit a faint glow, signaling the release of power constraints.
Raiden Mei drew her blade, electric arcs flashing in her eyes.
"Hahaha! Let's fight! The strong dominate, the weak are dominated—that's the truth of this world! We will become the true rulers!"
The Herrscher of Thousands's thousand dolls swarmed forward, laughing maniacally.
And so, the war began.
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